Shatrughan: Will leave Patna Saheb for Modi, not anyone else

Sinha was upset at his candidature not being announced for Patna Saheb.

Patna |
Published:March 15, 2014 2:34 am

Miffed over BJP high command’s offer to contest from any Delhi Lok Sabha seat, Patna Saheb MP Shatrughan Sinha has made it clear that he can “leave the seat only for Narendra Modi, not for Ravishankar Prasad or anyone else”. Sinha told party chief Rajnath Singh that Patna Saheb was his “first and last choice” under “normal” circumstances.

Sinha was upset at his candidature not being announced for Patna Saheb on Thursday when candidates for 25 of the 30 Bihar Lok Sabha seats it would contest were announced. Ten seats have gone to alliance partners LJP and RLSP. BJP is yet to announce candidates from Patna Saheb, Supaul, Jhanjharpur, Maharajganj and Buxar. While the party is caught between Shatrughan Sinha and Ravishankar Prasad for Patna Saheb, the party has a tough choice between singer Manoj Tiwari and Sukhda Pandey for Buxar.

Sources told The Indian Express that Shatrughan Sinha had already spoken to Rajnath Singh and “sorted out” the matter. Sinha supporters had been giving the logic of him being the sitting MP, who “nursed the constituency with his frequent visits”. But the party leadership wants to give a chance to Ravishankar Prasad, who has “missed out on contesting from Patna Saheb” on previous occasions.

Prasad, however, has seldom spoken about his desire to contest LS polls. “I am a small party worker and should not be matter of discussion,” he said recently to journalists’ query on contesting coming polls.